


Outrun

by GhostGirlVII



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Robot/Human Relationships, Robots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23144836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostGirlVII/pseuds/GhostGirlVII
Summary: What happen when a bounty hunter is protecting a cop? Trouble. Lot of trouble.****Slow updates****
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Comments: 12
Kudos: 6





	1. Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> I write it mostly for fun, so don’t expect a novel quality story. It is not beta readed, English isn't my first language and I keep improving every days, please excuse grammar/spelling mistakes! Enjoy :)
> 
> Cover; https://sta.sh/0udt9xitlj2

The bar wasn’t what she would call busy today. A lot of in and out, most of them to get their reward, but none to stay for a drink. It was like the night was meant to be calm. As she watched a man come in, her eyes returned to the holoscreen in front of her. Most of the contracts were either too easy, what she would qualify as good enough for a rookie, or they were off planet and she couldn’t leave yet. Her ship was still in repair, she could only accept a job on here. Though, Eva wasn’t in much need of money at the moment. After the last few jobs, she could allow herself some vacations.  
Closing her holoscreen, the woman got up and walked out, heading to home. The streets were a lot more busy than the building she was in a few minutes ago. The Black Market was always more crowded at night. From crooks to prostitutes, anyone could find exactly what they wanted. Of course anyone unusual would be easily spotted. They wouldn’t exactly blend in the crowd. It didn’t take her long to see how the man was acting differently. Thanks to all those years of training and working as a bounty hunter. Finding anyone suspicious action in the crowd was her speciality. 

She followed her target in the crowd. Whoever it was, he was trying hard to hide himself, to blend in the mass. But, it also looked like he was looking for someone or someone. Keeping her distance, Eva didn’t lose sight, no even when he accidently bumped into a drunk woman. She yelled at him and flipped a finger before returning to her drink. In the meantime, the stranger's disguise, only made of a cover over his head, slipped revealing a detail that surprised her.  
Almost running after the suspicious man, she caught him before he had the chance to turn the corner. Before she could speak, a robotic hand grabbed her wrist. The next time she knew, she went flying over his shoulder. However, she was used to this turn of events. In a blink of eye, Eva used the head of her opponent to prevent herself from falling. At the same time, she grabbed the cover, snatching it from the individual in front of her. “Easy mister officer.” She grinned. I just want to know what brings someone like you here. All alone, acting rather tense.”

“I’m not tense!” The robot officer replied, faking being offended. “I… I’m here undercover.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t fool me. At least not the way you’re acting. So what’s up? The Black Market is not a first choice destination for cops. Especially alone.”

The robot seemed to think for a moment. Eva couldn’t tell as it was one of those models without a face. They had a visor with colored glass or a classic black just like this one and that was it. It was hard to figure out their expression, at least the non-verbal was a good indicator. The bot snatched back the cover and threw it over his shoulders, letting out the sound of a sigh. “Fine. I’m looking for help. I need to keep a low profile for a while.”

“Why not ask your cop friends for this?”

“They… can’t help at the moment.”

A wild idea crossed her mind and she thought for a moment. She was a bounty hunter, not a bodyguard. However, for a cop to come all the way here for help, it must be something big. Eva knew everyone here, at least a good part, and no one would help a cop. She wondered what happened for him to have to disappear for a while and that the cops couldn’t help him with. She hadn’t much planned for a long time and protecting someone was a piece of cake right? “Alright, here’s my proposition. If I protect you as a full time job, you’ll have to pay me. I’m not the kind of person to work on two contract at the same time and I need an income.”

The answer came quickly. “Deal! Well, my own incomes won’t be much in the coming weeks, but I can promise you credits every week! Even if it means taking in my savings.” He was more desperate than she thought to admit this.

Eva gestured at him to follow her. Staying too long at the place was an invitation for trouble. She brought him to a bar, which happened to be just below her family’s home. She went directly for the back, outside of the kitchen and climbed the emergency stairs to a small window. Big enough to let an average adult climb in. “Uh, are we breaking in?” The officer asked unsure about this.

“Nope. That’s my place and we all get back from work through here.”

“We?”

The bot got his answer quickly as two kids came in running to jump directly in Eva’s arms. “We missed you!” One of the boys smiled.

“Did you bring us a souvenir?” The other asked.

“Sorry not this time. This contract has been a tough one. Glad I made it alive.”

The officer watched the scene without saying a word. In fact, he was analyzing the situation. After the twins came in, what he guessed by the odd ressemblance of both boys, a woman and a man came in too. He suddenly realized something. Eva looked out of this place with her red hair and pale skin. Everyone else had black hair and was tanned. He was so absorbed by all of this that he barely reacted when the man questioned him. “Uh excuse me?” 

“I said, what’s your name?”

“I”m lieutenant Razzle.”

“Dios mío! Tío, Eva brought a cop at home!”

“He’s my new contract.” She casually said, while removing her bulletproof vest. “Gotta keep him safe from bad guys. I thought it would be safe to keep him here for a few days.”

The man looked at Razzle. “Well as long as trouble doesn’t follow him here, I’m okay.” The woman replied, taking the kids away.

“Even if it does, we have some friends down in the bar.” The way he said this sent a chill to Razzle’s spine. “Señor Razzle, make yourself home.” 

“T-thanks you, sir.” After this strange encounter, he wasn’t sure to compute everything that just happened, Razzle was dragged by Eva to another room, which happened to be the guest room. Rather simple, it consisted of a small bed and a bedside table, nothing more. It was a pretty small room. It wasn’t much but enough. Before Eva left him alone, he dared to ask who those persons were. She simply replied family. Now with himself, the bot sat on the bed still taking everything in. Finding safety in the hands of bounty hunters, hitmen or any other kind of illegal persons was his last resort. On top of this, he may or may not have lied about his income. He only hoped to have enough to pay her for a month… If he could fix everything in a month.


	2. And so it begins

A month. It was literally all he could afford. But nonetheless to say, the past month had been anything but calm. The first thing he learned was how this family was anything but normal. The man of the house, Antonio Alvarez, hitman for years who retired as a bounty hunter. Then his sister, Leandra, hitman who returned home five years ago when she was pregnant of a man who left her. Of course, the twins, Luis and Joan. Lastly abuela Joselita. From what Eva told him, this old woman looked innocent now, but in her younger age she killed many and could probably still do it. It was later that he learned that Eva was adopted by them. Not legally. Antonio bought her home one day and the rest was history.  
Second thing he learned during this time was even if staying in this place was definitely not the best place for a cop, it was the best solution to keep a low profile. Till Razzle figured out that accessing his account would mean bad news, Thankfully he had been able to withdraw most of what he had in his bank account. That just before he found out that his account had been blocked anyway. It was a clever move. If he tried anything to recover what was left, like his saving, he would be found. Now his only hope was to bargain with Eva.

Eva, on the other hand, took this opportunity to rest and take it easy. This job was like vacation. Unless Razzle had to go in the City, she barely had anything to do. The hunter wouldn’t complain about it, it was nice to have a break after all the previous contract. Especially when one of them almost left you for death and cost a nice trip to the repair shop for your ship.  
Would be a lie to say she didn’t appreciate Razzle. Friends were not something she had in a handful. In her work true friends were rare. Living with him was a good way to make a new friend. Also, once the bot will have fixed his problem, having a friend among the police would be a nice plus. 

However in the past days, Razzle seemed distant minded. Something was bothering him. Eva was rather surprised when he asked to take a drink at the rather. Rather odd coming from someone who can’t drink or eat. Even more when he avoids her all day long. He barely talked to her. Hand on the handle, Antonio stopped her before she could pass the door frame. “Eva, be careful.” He said.”

“Why? You don’t trust him?” Antonio never showed concern till now.

“No, not trusting him. Although my guts are telling me that there’s something more. Something big is coming.”

“Don’t worry I can handle anything.”

A smirk on his face, Antonio nodded. Nothing could scare her when it came to challenges. Eva walked in the hallway, took the stairs down, crossed another narrow hallway to end up in the bar. The Wicked was the number one place for bounty hunters and hitment to get contracts. The music was electro swing tonight and everyone was enjoying their time. It looked like any other bar, but it had its secret for who knows it. Passing next to the bartender, she waved at him. He replied by pointing to her table in the middle of the room where Razzle was. Despite the lack of face, she could tell he wasn’t feeling alright. She took a seat in front of him. “So what’s the problem?”

“I may or may not… have nothing left to pay you.” He shrugged.

“Excuse me?” She wasn’t expecting that.

“I don’t know how it happened, but everything I own is blocked. If I attempt anything I’m in trouble.”

“As you aren’t now.” She groaned. “You tried?”

“Yes.” He lied. “But I still need your protection.”

“Well nothing happened in the past month, I don’t see why.” 

She got him here. He had to think fast before she refused. “My problems aren’t sorted out yet. I need you, I’m asking this as a friend.”

Eva raised an eyebrow. “We are friends?”

“Yes… Well I hope so.”

“What’s in for me? If you can’t give me money, propose me something interesting.”

“I promise to give you protection and intel from the IGP. Anything related to you or your family will be handled by me.”

She crossed her arms. It was a good proposition. “Antonio already has his own help among the IGP, but I wouldn’t mind my own. I guess I can keep helping you. But! You better deal with your problem fast.”

“Deal! Sorry to cause you problems with this.”

“Well if you’re broken, I suppose I have no other option. I’ll be back.” Eva stood up and fastly crossed the distance from their table to the bar. Elbows on the counter, always facing her friend, Eva knew what to do. Even if it was against what she liked to do.

“Hey Dave! Got anything new?”

The bartender turned to her. “Eva! Yes, even fresh from this morning.”

“Can I see?”

“You’re lucky, I kept this one for professionals only… and my favorite. Only you and one other hunter saw it so far.” Dave slided her a pad. He was a nice man, an ex mercenary who had to retire after he lost his left arm and eye in an explosion. Now wearing an eyepatch and prosthetic arm, he looked like a rough guy, but was the nicest.  
Eva’s eyes browsed through the contract. It was made by the IGP itself. If they did, it meant they reached last resort. As soon as her gaze found the picture of the target, she stopped breathing. Not even caring about what else was written, she scrolled down to see who else was on the case. Finding the name, Eva put down the pad.

“Close the contract!” Eva asked promptly.

Dave was surprised by her reaction. It wasn’t her to demand such thing. “What? Why?”

“I want it exclusive!”

“It doesn’t -”

“Do it! I need that contract and I don’t want anyone else to get on the case. He’s already enough. If there’s anything, tell the IGP I’m willing to do it for free.” On this she left to join the bot. The woman didn’t give him time to say anything. Pad in hand, she threw it on the officer’s head. “Razzle!”

A few inches from his face, she looked pissed off. “You owe me a good explanation! Why is the IGP after their own lieutenant? Why would they put a bounty on your head? From who I really need to protect you? Speak!”

“E-easy! I-I can explain!” Razzle stammered. “It’s just, I once came across sensitive information concerning our chief. He figured out what I did and he has been trying to keep me quiet since. But he can drag attention to himself, so the chief is using all he can. That’s why I’m here, I thought that no one will think about finding me with the bad guys.”

“Bad guys?” She snorted. “Well, one of the bad guys just save your ass. You have a bounty of fifty thousand credits. This is a lot. Good news, I got the contract. Bad news, you’re wanted dead or alive and someone else is also on the case.” Eva let herself fall on her chair, having her usual looking. Someone unfazed who only wants business done. “Razzle, if you want me to help I need to know exactly who might come after you.”

“Maybe one or two cops who were with my chief, your bounty hunter and… the Kulraz gang.”

“The what now? Oh great! We’re fucked!” Now she really needed to find a way to make him blend more in the crowd. With a groan, she dragged him back to the safe house. It was time to get ready. Eva would need a lot of advice and help.

However, none of them noticed the gaze who followed them. The hunter looked at his phone to check the contract. A smirk spreaded on his lips. “Only you and me, Rutherford? Interesting. Good hunt.”


	3. Hiding

Sitting at her desk, Eva was studying all the possibilities. One thing she still couldn’t grasp was how and why no one caught Razzle yet. He kept his uniform all the time… It certainly helped that he remained home most of the time in the past month. Head between her hands, she let out a sigh. A knock on the door took her out of her thoughts. Antonio came in, closing the door slowly behind him. “Everything is okay?” He asked, taking a seat next to her.

As soon as they came back from the bar, Eva explained the situation. The usual joyful atmosphere in the apartment switched to a tense one quickly. Even the kids remained calm and silent. The Alvarez family wasn’t worried about her skills or someone else being part of the hunt. It was the Kulraz gang. Everyone in the criminal or barely legal system avoided them like the plague. Right after the mafia, they were the biggest criminal organization. Drugs, weapons trafficking, humans trafficking, they were versatile. Having one of their hitmen after you only meant one outcome. Your death. Also, anyone getting in their way was sure to end dead. “Leandra is almost done. We find him some clothes to blend in, however it’s hard to change a robot at one hundred percent.” Eva remained silent, so he kept going. “I have a few contacts, I can ask them to help… What’s your plan?”  
“My plan? First, get Razzle to explain what happened to get him in this situation. If my suspicion is confirmed, find a way to expose the truth. Second, I need to find a place to stay away from the cops and the gang. Between this? Improvise.”

“Minerva.” When Antonio used her full name, she knew he was serious. “You have to be careful. This time it’s not you who need to hide from the target. You are the target. It’s not the father figure or uncle talking, it’s the hitman. Death will wait in the shadows in every corner, for you to make any mistakes. Watch your back more than anything and leave no trace behind you.”

Eva nodded. Leandra called them in the living room. With the best she and the twins could do, they had given a more or less complete makeover to Razzle. Instead of his typical police uniform, Razzle had a nice black jacket, a white shirt and a pair of jeans. Anything a typical civilian would wear. Joan insisted that a hat would be a perfect accessory. The bot took it, but didn’t put it. Might be handy later though. Antonio gave him one last thing. A bracelet. Nothing fancy, far from it in fact, but it will scramble any facial or material regognization program. Definitely helpful if they ever had to get close to the City. As Eva was packing more firepower and ammo that she was used to, Antonio and Leandra took Razzle aside to give him one last warning. “You know she could have turned you over to the cops?” The woman said dryly. “Yet she chose otherwise.”

“We don’t ask or want to know why, but.” His tone was low and serious, only a few inches from the bot’s faceplate. He looked directly where his opticeyes should be. “If anything happens to her, hope you’ll be dead before we find you.”

The bot gulped as much as his fonction allowed him to, and acquiesced. In other words, she’ll look over him, but he will also have to look over her.  
On this advice, Eva and Razzle left the safe house by the same way they got in a month ago. This time when the hunter touched the ground, she turned left instead of going inside. The lieutenant followed her in silence. If he thought the place he was in was a rough place, it was nothing compared to where she was leading him. Those streets were empty, barely any sign of life, except a few homeless. Abandoned buildings falling into ruins. They walked in this ghost city for a while, before he spoke up. “So where are we going exactly?”

“The Black Market is the frontier between the City and it’s luxury and this hell hole.” She replied unfazed. He didn’t try to ask for more as he realized that will be the only information he will get. He lost count of how many corners they turned, how many streets they crossed. Although he noticed a pattern. They were going in a circle, much like they had no destination. Then without a warning, Eva entered an abandoned old shop. They went all the way to the backstore, went through a hole in the wall, to finally end up in front of a motel almost in ruins. 

Thankfully if the outside didn’t give a warm welcome, the inside was slightly better. Slightly was the key word. Eva headed directly to the reception, while Razzle looked around. Mostly wondering how many murders happened here. Otherwise it has a nice style directly from the 60’s. The bounty hunter gestured at him to follow her. The elevator was old and sounded rusty. The three floors they had to go up took more than a few seconds to get there. The hallway to the room reflected the bad maintenant; the tapestry was in bad condition, the floor dirty by stain of who knows what. At least, it seemed dusted at minimum. Eva turned the key in the door. It was at this moment that Razzle noticed the lack of technology. Door usually used digital code or fingerprint, not this old system of keys. The room was at least better than the outside. They probably gave priority to the rooms than the rest of the building. It was a small place with decoration, a small desk, a closet, a kitchenette and a two person bed. A window in the background with no blind or curtain gave directly to a neon sign that illuminated the room a little. Razzle was about to comment, but she was faster.

“I know it’s now one of those five stars hotels. Even I would give it minus two, but it’s the only way to keep a low profile.” She let the heavy backpack fall on the floor. “No one can’t find traces of anything here. No computer, no file, no information stored. Everything is done like old time, papers. I let you guess that people don’t really use this place as a vacation motel. All the rooms have only one bed.”

He noticed the bitterness in her voice. Something was upsetting her and he knew what. The guilt was overwhelming and he ended up staying silent while she was unpacking. Once Eva was done, she threw the bag full of ammo under the bed. Without more, Eva excused herself saying that she had some ‘shopping’ to do. Razzle watched her left and locked the door behind her. Left alone, Razzle let all of those feelings stirring in, hope to find his words when she will come back and apologize.


	4. Plans

The bounty hunter came back in the middle of the night. Not only was this district perfect for keeping a low profile, it was also the best place to find stuff you couldn’t even find on the Black Market. Cops avoided this area like the plague, a good thing when you were looking for a blueprint of the Intergalactic Police headquarters. However, you had to know how to bargain. It was easy to lose a ridiculous amount of credits for nothing. Placing the blueprint on the table, she found Razzle note. I don’t fancy to sleep. Take it, the bathtub will do fine for me. Intrigued, she picked a look in the bathroom. He was indeed in there in stasis mode. She smiled softly before closing the door slowly. Tiredness felt heavy on her eyes. All she removed was her bulletproof vest and boots and collapsed on the mattress. It wasn’t one of the most comfortable, but it will do. This could be the only true rest she’ll get in a while.

****

Eva woke up to the smell of coffee and pastry. Emerging from her sleep, her eyes took a few seconds to focus on a sight that had her on her feet pretty fast. “Where did you get this?” She worried. The only bakery close enough was near the Black Market. “You went out alone?” 

“I have been careful, don’t worry.” Razzle reassured her. “I might not be a pro, but I’m a cop. I have some basics in blending in.” He pointed her to the other sea at the table. Of course she could have expected him to not be clueless about this.

“Well, thanks for this. But please, next time don’t go alone. You never know.” Taking a sip of coffee, it was clear the bot had something else in mind. He wasn’t the type of guy who would eat food.

“I know, but it’s also to excuse myself.” She raised her eyebrows. “I haven’t told you the truth, kind of lied. I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere.

“You owe me more than an apology. I need an explanation with better info on what we are dealing with.”

“Yeah, you deserve that. While I was investigating a small drug dealer I arrested, I came across some sensitive information. The deeper I dug, the more I found. My chief is connected to too many cases concerning the Kulraz. Remember that drug seizure three years ago?”

“Yes, it was all over the news. Biggest cargo ever found, but no one was arrested.”

“Because my chief, with the help of two other cops, covered everything! And so, I began to gather all I could. Although, before I could save all the data, Chief found out. The next day, I knew I was in trouble.” He told her how when he came back home that day, his whole apartment was a mess. Whoever broke in was looking for something in particular. Everything was broken, desk upside down. All the thief left behind was a warning. They would find him and kill him. At this moment, Razzle knew what he had to do and fled to places no one could find him. Which led him to find Eva.

“The way I see this we have two options. Either we keep hiding you for the rest of your life, in which case it would be nice to find you a desert planet. Or we go on a hunt to retrieve all the information and bring to justice all the concerned.”

Razzle knew it wasn’t really a choice. It was the second option and nothing else. However he has no idea what to do. He knew where to go, but how to access everything. One thing sure, he could try to get inside the police station. Unless the chief came with a good story to get all the officers to arrest him, he risked nothing. Thanks to his good reputation, it would be hard for people to believe he did something wrong. But you were never too sure. Another way would be to investigate directly the Kulzac, but this will take way too long to gather all the proof he needed. Eva could probably pull some string, but at what cost? Information in the Black Market was valuable. Money, exchange of info, anything for nothing sometimes.

No matter where they wanted to begin first, they had to be quick. The clock was ticking. “Alright, let’s infiltrate the IGP headquarters!” Eva said, pushing everything aside and unrolling the blueprint on the table.

“Woah, wait what? The h-headquarters!”

“Of course, where else?”

“I work...ed at the 29th station! We should be heading there. Not in the orbital station!”

Eva shook her head with a cocky smile. “Well, when I went to bargain, I didn’t know that. So I thought why not go big.”

Razzle let out a sigh. Giving deeper thought, going directly to his old station was a foolish idea. So was infiltrating the big station, which was closer to suicide than foolishness. “You know that we could get arrested as soon as we step one step on the station. They have sensors everywhere around, every entrance is guarded.”

“Everywhere but here.” She pointed to a spot in the lowest part of the station. She studied it on her way back to the motel. “The garbage dump. Almost every station in the universe, especially the one with an outside sensor, has a blind spot there. Can you imagine, all the debris setting off alarms all day long! That’s our ticket in.”

Razzle’s circuits were already burning from calculating how to make it out alive. Her plan wasn’t bad. Still, there were too many variables about what could go wrong. According to the blueprint, the garbage dump was directly connected to the lowest part of the station. Probably filled with maintenance staff and very few guards. Then his best chance was to head for the Archives. Two floors up, located in the eastern part of the station, not far from the IGP headmaster’s office. Not an area very guarded as no one could access it without a special pass and be escorted. They still could be caught easily. As soon as he will be in, they will not have much time to get out. It has to be done quickly. Of course, the dump will be their escape. Going out by the main entrance was like walking in the lion’s dent. Although it was often packed with civilians, it could use them as cover and to blend in the mass. All they had to lose in this mission was either their freedom or life. Despite all his worries, his guts told him that Eva had thought this through enough and they will make it. Hopefully.


	5. Infiltration

They spent the rest of the day reviewing their plan and found a shuttle. They needed something small enough to not be spotted by the radars and be able to doc near the dump’s exit. Eva knew just the place in person. In less than an hour and a few credits, they had their transportation. However, they wouldn’t infiltrate the station today. It was getting late anyway and it was better to do it while everyone was onboard. A heavy flux of civilians and workers will keep most of the guards busy.  
The next day, a quick check and refresh of the plan and they left for the station. A thirty minutes trip door to door. The debris made it a little harder to get through, but succeeded to make it without a scratch. Eva activated the magnetic cable, allowing the shuttle to dock and not drift away. “Alright from here, we go by walk.” The hunter said placing the helmet on her head. Razzle nodded. Once she was ready, he opened the hatch and they went out in the cold space. Triggering the door system from the outside in a blink of eyes, Razzle got them in in no time. A few minutes later, they ended up in the maintenant area. Everything was going smoothly. A little too much for their taste.

They made their way carefully in the maintenance department. No one seemed to notice them. Eva pointed to an elevator reserved for staff only. It was exactly what they needed. With this, they could access any floor without attracting too much attention. Before getting in, Razzle came up with an idea. “What about a disguise?”

“How? Which kind?” Eva asked.

“There should be a laundry not far. I remember hearing they have one for the maintenance staff. They get their uniform dirty easily.” He showed her the way. It was a bit more crowded than the previous room. Thankfully, they quickly grabbed clothes from a large basket, returned to the elevator and during the trip up, put on the uniforms. Once the door opened, they walked as casually as they could. It wasn’t such an easy task when they were worried about getting caught. The Archives being on the opposite side, Razzle and Eva hurried up each time they could alternate between walking and small jog. Luckily they met only two guards on the way. The disguises ended up very useful.   
Finally in front of the room, they knew their time was counted. Razzle hoped either his code or the maintenance worker’s card Eva found her pocket will do. His code worked like a charm. On the other hand, it will only take a few minutes before anyone in the station will be aware of their presence. 

The Archives’s room consisted of one big screen, much like just one giant computer. Eva handed the disk to the bot and watched him work. He was quick to find every files, every cases, he needed. He remembered every numbers of the twenty he had to retrieve. The bounty hunter was on the lookout to make sure no one was coming. In the corner of her eyes, she saw two guards and two other people. They weren’t moving but the non guards were gesturing a lot. Eva kept an eye on them. Till something rings a bell. One of the person looked odd… She took the card from her pocket. “Razzle… Tell me you’re done.” She said closing the door. “We need to go, now! And find another escaping plan.” 

“Yeah I got everything. What do you mean we ne-” 

He was interrupted by a voice on the other side. “We found a shuttle outside the station and two workers just told us their uniforms have been stolen. The headmaster wants us to find whoever got in. Look for anyone suspicious with a maintenance uniform. All without worry the civilians.”

Going back to the ship was not an option anymore. Eva was sure they hadn’t triggered any alarm. However, no one outside of the station knew about the random checking made by one person. The only exit was the main entrance. Crowded by civilians and police officers. On top of this, officers were on the hunt for anyone suspicious. Eva and Razzle waited a little longer, sure that whoever was being the door was gone now, before getting out of the Archives. They headed directly for the stairs, not time to wait for the elevator. Running downstairs, they stopped right before the last door for the ground floor and took out their uniform. Razzle would be exposing himself but the crowd will help. In the last meters before the exit, Eva had little time to think about transportation. The woman grabbed Razzle by the arm. “Keep your head low. I’ll take us out of here.”

He nodded and let her lead the way. He catched some cops looking at them, but were ignored. He tried to calm himself. The officers weren’t aware of who infiltrated the facility. His old chief wouldn’t compromise his post by ordering every cops to arrest him. He catched the glance of another cop and looked away quickly. Currently everyone was focused on two ‘new’ workers, not civilians. He had to relax. They're gonna make it. Although Eva slowed her pace. Razzle glanced at her unsure. She looked worried and concerned. Someone in the crowd had caught her attention. 

He tried to follow her gaze to see who got her in such a state. The bot saw a man standing there and staring at them. He had an eye patch, hair well placed on his head, a long coat and was rather tall. This stranger had a smile on his face, not a friendly one. Eva stopped dead, holding the robot’s arm tighter. Razzle watched her looking for an escape. But the more they stalled, the closer this man was getting. He stopped as soon as he was in arm reach. Eva was reached for her gun, remembering that they left them behind in the hotel. If they had been arrested, it was easier to pretend to be lost civilians. “What’s going on?” Razzle whispered.

“Big trouble.” She dropped without emotions.

“Well, well, well. Turning this bounty in… or running away with it?” The man said. Eva hoped that of security he had no weapons.

“None of your business, Godefroy.” She snarled. “I’m working right now. Would you mind moving out of the way?”

“Yes. In fact, the man looking for him is willing to double the bounty if I also get rid of the bot’s bodyguard.”

“Always a quick mind to put one and one together. I guess I was too obvious.”

Razzle could feel the tension rising between them. They had no more words to exchange. NOw they were waiting for who would move first. What if someone other than them made it?


	6. Escape

While the two hunters were staring at each other, Razzle knew it was time to act. The bot reacted first, his shoulder hitting Godefroy directly in the chest making him lose balance. Both hunters were surprised. Razzle pulled Eva toward the exit in a run. As soon as they were out, they frantically looked left and right for transport. The human dragged her friend to the taxi zone. Taking one was one of the easiest options. As soon as they approached the vehicule, the door from the one behind opened. More problems ahead! Even if they tried to avoid it, Eva and Razzle met the newcomer’s gaze. The man looked surprised at first, then angry.

“Finally I found you bastard!” He yelled to the bot.

Razzle made a sound close to gulp. “It’s him!” He panicked in a whisper. “It’s my chief!”

The woman rolled her eyes. They didn’t need this at the moment. The chief approached, ready to get his hand on the bot, but Eva was quicker. She punched him right in the face then in the guts. She and her friend jumped in the taxi, asking to be taken anywhere in the City. Godefroy will probably follow them. The last thing they needed was him finding their place. All went so smoothly at first and now it was a total mess! At least, they got the info they needed. If they could make it in one piece.  
As soon as they entered the Downtown district, Eva noticed the car behind them. The other hunter won’t let go so easily. Eva asked the driver to stop here. Right in front of an old shop Razzle didn’t remember having seen before and he had patrolled often in the City. Where are we exactly?” He asked as she pushed the entrance door. 

“Even if I gave you the name, they will probably change the name soon.” Eva waved at what looked like the owner. The alien waved back.

“What can I do for you?”

“Eva looked over her shoulder. Godefroy was nowhere in sight, yet. “I need an escape. To or near the Death City.” The owner grinned widely, proposing to help in exchange for something interesting. The hunter gave him the credits he was asking for and the alien told them the instructions. “If Mr. Godefroy shows up, give him another route or nothing.” She ordered before giving more credits.

Then they ran to the backstore. None of the employees seemed to mind them. Razzle was a little lost by all of this. They crossed the room till they reached a small door. Eva pushed it and they ended in a big ronde room with more doors. Each of them had a name on it. Either a street name or district. “What is this place?” Razzle wondered out loud following his bodyguard who was heading for a door labelled Death City.

“An old shop who is linked to an underground maze.” Eva explained. “Only known to hitmen and bounty hunters. However they change the name if someone spills out the secret.” She closed the door behind them, plunging them in pitch black. Eyes opened or closed, it was the same. Eva groaned. “Damn it, I forgot to ask for light.”

Razzle put a hand on her shoulder. She heard metal knock on metal. A second later, his visor lighted in a soft light. Not much to brighten the whole place, but enough so they could see where they were going. “A little upgrade I got when I joined the IGP.” He said amused by Eva’s surprised face.

“Well, it’s better than nothing. Lead the way till we reach another room with different route options.” Razzle nodded. He was caught a little off guard when the human grabbed his hand. The way was narrow, they couldn’t walk side by side and to make sure to not lose him, Eva held his hand tight. They made their way in the dark with no sounds except their footstep. The hunter kept an ear open for any sounds of someone following them.  
After what seemed hours, they ended up in a jonction with five different openings. Razzle lit the best he could the street’s names on top. Eva found the right one and pressed the bot in. Another trip in the darkness, when they finally emerged in an old subway station. Abandoned since decades, only homeless people had found refuge here. None of them minded Eva or Razzle; they were used to seeing hitmen coming this way. Eva pushed the officer to the exit and they finally returned to the freedom of the surface. Up there, they made haste to return to the motel. Fortunately, the station was maybe two streets away.

In the end, they made it without anyone following him. Locking the door behind her, Eva allowed herself to breath. They were out of danger and had all they needed. Come to think of it this meant Razzle will soon return to his old life and her job will be done. She caught herself thinking that it would be sad. She did enjoy her time with him. Well, according to the deal, he would become her helper in the IGP. But it wasn’t the same. Would they still be able to see each other as friends? She didn’t remember Antonio doing such with his own helper. But it was not over yet. Not sure what she should do now, Eva went to grab some food and drink in the fridge. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Razzle go on the computer and put the disk in. Even from the distance, she could tell her was tense. Odd how even for a robot, emotions from him were still so easily readable. He groaned, grabbing his head between his hands. “I’m such an imbecile!” He let out.

“What? Took the wrong files?” She joked, but a little worried.

“No, but it’s as bad as this. Most, if not all, files are corrupted.”

“Any ideas what could have caused this? Who could have done this?”  
“Yeah, either a security code or my old chief made this himself. No one would go back to these files as they were archived. Any access to archived cases is asking permission to your chief, that’s the legal way. So even if he had corrupted them and someone asked to review them, he can change the files with the uncorrupted version before they can look.”

Eva bited her lip. Nothing could go right. “So what should we do now?”

“I suppose gather the missing info and go back to the first plan...”


	7. Break and past

All the information Razzle ever gathered took him months and back then he didn’t have to hide. At least not as much as now. Right now, they didn’t exactly need to start from scratch, but it would take a few trips in the city and close to the Kulraz’s territory. Of course, the faster the had everything, the faster the could put an end to the human trafficking. Luckily, Razzle was able to reduce the proof needed in half. Ten cases had enough information to force the IGPD to begin a full scale investigation and arrest the head among the gang. Back in the days, he had so much in his processor at the same time, he passed right through all of it. He felt really dumb about it. Eva had good allies with her connections which could accelerate the process. However her first mission was always to keep Razzle safe . Having to wonder back and forth to places wasn’t an easy task. Add to this that another hunter was after them, that was making everything much harder. That’s why after a few weeks of personal investigations, Eva thought it would be better to take a break. Stay low and try to be forgotten for a while. They had half of the work done, the easiest cases. The harder ones would require more time and energy. That was if they could make it out alive of their current situation.  
Hidden behind a crate, gun at the ready, Eva checked if all was clear. She gestured at Razzle to move. He ran quickly to the next spot. What had started as a smooth when to pot very quickly. Someone shooted near their hiding place. Eva tensed up. She hadn’t much ammo left and the exit was still pretty far. She looked at the bot. “How long can you keep going?” She whispered, taking place next to him.

“Not long. Maybe a few more shots.” He replied checking his ammos. “We need to hurry up.” More shoots reached them.

“Easy to say! But with these assholes after us…” Running steps echoed. They were coming in their direction. “Another exit, we need another escape plan.”

Razzle thought for a moment. When they first got there, he was busy scoping the surroundings while Eva ws doing the talking. There was certainly… “I know!” He grabbed her wrist and as soon as the wave of gunshots stopped. Dragging her into a sprint back where they come from.  
Eva wanted to protest, not really liking the idea of ending up face to face with the ones who wanted them dead. However when he turned left instead of right she thought for a moment that he knew what he was doing. Until he ended up in a room with literally no escape. A dead end. No hiding spot either. Just a big dark empty room.

“What the fuck! Why here?” Eva groaned.

“Well I looked around when we passed by and noticed water flowing down the middle.” He went to the center to show her their escape. Right under the metallic grid was a way to the sewer. The smell was already strong, Eva had to do everything to hold her lunch inside. Not the most pleasant thing, but always better than dead. They both jumped in, closed the grid and made their way in the putrid water.

With Razzle having the light, they walked for a while hoping to finally see their street. It was an old system with names on the walls.They were a little rusty but still readable. Incapable to hold it anymore, Eva had to stop to throw up. A sudden gust of foul-smelling got the best of her. “You are lucky you don’t smell anything.” She panted. She swore she heard him chuckle before admitting that sometimes he wishes he could. They kept walking, sometimes having water to their ankles, jumping when anything moved in the dark. Who knows how long it took them to finally reach the surface again, but when they did Eva was delighted to breathe some fresh air.   
Pushing the door wide open, the sight of the bed looked inviting,although after all that happened the shower was a better option. Eva jumped in the warm shower, leaving Razzle to do whatever he had to do for now. She sat in the bathtub letting the water flow over her, allowing herself a moment to relax. Now that they made it alive, it was break time. Everything was going smoothly and good and if it kept going like this, a month would be the maximum required to wrap it all up. Silently fixing the wall in front of her, Eva suddenly wondered how and why Godefroy hadn’t found them yet. He was an excellent hunter, even with all the precautions she took, she was surprised he didn’t get at least a clue. Maybe she should get ready in case? Well, wasn't their plan to run away? So if they had figured it out, they would be gone by tomorrow. No need to worry with this. Eva got out of the shower when the water turned cold. Putting up her spare clothes, she returned to the main room. Razzle was on the bed, lying down, holding a datapad in his hands. Wearing a plain white shirt, it was only now that she noticed his forearms. They were dented. Sitting at the table and taking her own pad, Eva dared to ask. It was rather funny how, after so long of being stuck together, they never talked about much personal things. Like their past. “What happened to your arms?”

“This?” He said sitting up. “Left side was a few years ago. A young kid thought he could rob a small market and run away. I tried to talk to him, he still jumped on me with a knife. It left a mark. But it turned out the kid was lost, confused and needed guidance. Someone who believed in him. Now, he has his own company and his family.”

“Nice that he got a second chance. But you never thought about fixing your arm?”

“Please, it’s merely a scratch. A little deep but no problem. Also, I like the concept of scars. On the right, it was my first year as a cop. I tried to stop bullets. It worked and left some scars.”  
“Never a dull moment with you I suppose.” He simply shrugged at the remark. However it was now Razzle's turn to ask a question that was burning his circuits for a while. The bot up to join her at the table.

“Can I ask you something?” She nodded. “The Alvarez aren’t your biological family. What happened to your parents?” His tone was so calm and… almost professional when he said it. 

“That’s not the kind of question I was expecting. I mean you said it so casually.”

“Yeah, sorry, all those years as a cop make you forget that some questions aren’t usual to ask in a normal conversation. It wasn’t my intention to make you feel uneasy or anything.”

“It’s alright. Actually my parents died when I was seven. Some imbecile tried to kill himself with gas. End up that the whole building exploded. I was at school when this happened. The principal told me everything. Ironically, the man survived.”

“How did you end up with Antonio then? Child services should have taken care of you. At least bring you to a kin.”

“Well I had no one close. I think I had an uncle, but he was living off planet and financially incapable to take care of me. I end up in a foster family of course. Nice people but I didn’t trust them. So I ran away and Antonio found me as I was trying to steal food in the bar. I’m not sure why I stayed with him, I guess I trusted him. He was even nicer than the others and I never regretted staying.”

“You don’t miss your real parents?”

“Yes and no. So much happened at the same time after that, it's like I never really had time to think about their death. Not that I forgot them, but I don’t feel so sad about it. It’s weird to explain.” It always has been something odd to talk about. As a kid she loved her parents, when they died she was devastated. Her foster family at the time tried to make her forget this bad accident the best they could. However it was not what she wanted. They were nice, but just couldn’t understand her real needs. A thing Antonio understood and let her grief as she needed it. That’s what she meant by trusting. Now she was at peace with it, that’s why she was sad about them.

They spend an hour of two talking more like friends than before. They did share some personal experiences before, but somehow always kept it professional. It was in a way their first open heart conversation. Eva related her training, her first contracts, her first kill. She was no hitman, but her life was at stake. That was her last and only option. Razzle on his side admitted that his life had also its moments. Especially that he was created to be a maintenance bot on a cargo ship. That’s what the woman told him on his first day of life. But he decided otherwise and became a police officer. Feeling her eyes getting heavy, Eva called it night. “You seemed comfortable on the bed earlier.” She pointed out. “I guess you can sleep in… on your side… with me. I-I don’t mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eva's parents's backstory was inspired by something that happened to my godfather's girlfriend. Everything Eva said actually happened. The guy really survived in real life. My godfather's girlfriend no. Luckly my godfather was away from home when it all happened.


	8. Change of plan

Just before falling asleep, they agreed on leaving early the next day, to go further in this forgotten city. A little break was more than welcome, even if it wouldn’t be one. They still had to be on the lookout for anyone. Her sources had confirmed that some members of the gang were looking for a human accompanied by a robot who were often spotted where they shouldn’t be. If they kept attracting attention like this , it wouldn't end well.   
A knock on the door dragged her out of her sleep. Her body was a little painful and sore, not from the previous running and escaping. Because she unconsciously made sure to not move during her sleep and wake up in an awkward position with Razzle. A second knock woke her up for good after it was followed by “room service.” The bot was also getting out of stasis. 

“A moment! I need to find clothes.” Eva shouted. Silently, she gestured at Razzle to keep it down and pack everything. He didn’t argue or ask for more. They grabbed everything they had quickly. Another knock, more insisting, echoed in the room. “A moment please!” It was too late at night for room service. If this place even offered it! Eva threw her backpack over her shoulders and went to the window. This old building had escape stairs on the outside. 

“What’s going on?” Razzle whispered as she forced him through the window. This time a fist pounded while someone tried to open the door. 

“We have to and now!” She pressed him. “Don’t worry, I already paid for this place. Come on climb down!” Eva climbed on the window’s frame, half-in half-out, when the door burst open. THe bounty hunter let out a son of bitch, before moving from her position. She ran down stairs, pushing Razzle in the streets. Without giving more information to the cop, she made them run as fast as they could. Eva hoped they could disappear in the dark, however all the lights and neons even made the usual dark alley softly lighted. On top of that she couldn’t go toward their new hiding spot, he will find them and force them to run again. They had to find something temporary. Somewhere it will be safe till he gives up on them. A shoot bounced on the wall next to them.

“Give up Rutherford!” A familiar voice threatened. “He’s wanted more dead than alive!”

“He found us?” Razzle panicked. They turned a corner, ending up in a busy street. A very busy one. They made their way between drunk people (either on the ground or standing), sex workers, scammers and other strange personalities who would take advantage of the night. With a small crowd, Godefroy would probably not open fire. Then again, he never really cared about collateral damage. No matter how much they wanted to run, they kept it to a fast walking pace. They would stand out too much otherwise. Without looking back, pushing some pedestrians aside with an apology, Eva and Razzle made it to the end of the street and turned left at the first intersection. They walked a few meters before she finally dared to look over her shoulder. Only random persons, no sign of Godefroy. That was good. However her mind was already working on how he found them. She made sure wherever they went to not leave a trace. Make sure no one will talk about their business. Eva miscalculated how good Godefroy was at bribing. He certainly wouldn’t hesitate to double her price for information. If this was the case, who betrayed her? Anyone who worked within the bounty hunter/hitman business had one rule; to not speak of others missions. Whoever broke the rule will be in trouble. So lost in her thoughts, she was brought back to reality as Razzle pushed her on the wall. Eva was about to yell at him, when she noticed that thanks to him, she avoided being hit in the face by a steel pipe.

“Isn’t just your back you should watch, but all your surroundings, amateur.” Godefroy laughed. She hated when he called her like this. Her guess was the bastard decided to use a parallel street when he saw the crowd, hoping to catch up later. Eva just had the time to get back on her feet, the bot and her rival were already throwing hands at each other. Jumping in would only make things worse. The hunter looked around for a weapon; using a gun wasn’t the best solution here. The steel pipe! Godefroy dropped it. She took it and with full force landed a strike behind his kneecaps. The man let out a scream of pain. He let go of the robot, falling in the ground.

“You hit hard, I give you that kid.” His tone was suspicious. It was like he had more to say... or to do in that case. Hand in his coat, he took out a device Razzle didn’t have the time to react this time. The teaser-like tool was one of his worst nightmares and it made direct contact with him. He felt the buzz and the electric showaves invading his system. His circuit wouldn’t be fried, but this massive surge will incapacitate him for a short time. Every part of him, except for his consciousness, shut down. In a matter of seconds, he dropped on the ground.

This wasn’t good. Eva couldn’t drag him away, robots weighed a lot as dead body. Godefroy was still a menace. She went for another pipe swing, although this time he was faster to react. He catched it mid air and pulled it out of her hands. The woman kicked him directly in the guts. Godefroy moved a stepback after the hit. She quickly took the opportunity to grab his gun and threw it away, as far as she could. Then, Eva went to punch him directly on the face. One hit striked. She went for a second one, but the man blocked it. He threw himself at her, tackled her on the wall. Her breath knocked out. She didn’t have time to evaluate her situation and retaliate that he threw her on the sidewalk. “Really didn’t want to come up to this, but I guess it’s time to deal with the competition.” Eva tried to get up, he kicked her back down and wrapped his hand on her neck. The bot will be out for a few minutes, he had all his time to to end up. His grip tightened, Eva desperately tried to stop him. On the corner of his eye, he noticed her hand reaching for her gun. With his knee he stopped her from doing so. Out of ideas, she instinctively grabbed his wrist with her only free hand and dug her nails in the skin. Maybe he will let go. Out of breath, she realized that it was most likely not gonna happen. Her vision began to blur. It wouldn’t be long before she passed out.  
Suddenly, the grip loosed. Eva was able to catch her breath. Half-breathing half-choking, she pushed herself up, still figuring out what just happened. Razzle was standing armed with the famous pipe. “He just knocked out, we should move quickly.” He said offering a hand.  
“How are you up so quick?” She wondered.

“A bunch of quick reboots here and there. I haven't recovered completely yet. Running isn’t an option at the moment. Another bunch of other small options are still being rebooted too. Let’s hurry up.” 

She agreed and they made their way down the streets. Now that she had more time to think in peace, Eva had to rethink her plan. If Godefroy found them in such an abandoned place, the Kulraz would too. Then they will, of course, figure out their plan to hide in a more deserted town. They will send people there. She was about to speak up, Razzle was faster. “We should make a bold move ourselves.” He stated.

“What’s your idea?” It wouldn’t hurt to try his plan, would it?

“We make our way back to the City as sneaky as possible. We head back to my old apartment and work from here for a while. We cover up the activity by pretending it was rented by a new person. I know the owner, I can arrange something.”

It was a bold and risky plan. Although at this point, either options had the same level of danger. Right now, it would be hard to find a safe place, at the same time they investigate. Was it worth the risk? Probably. Best option for their-lay-low-for-a-time plan? Not really. 

“Alright, let’s do this.” Eva sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting low in ideas, I don't know when I'll update the next chapter. I need to take more time and think the rest of the story a little more.


	9. Polished plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still improvising as I'm going but ideas are coming back! I'm open to 'theorizing' on the story. Might actually help me ;) So don't be afraid to speak your mind!  
> Also, I used to write down on paper and then write on Google Docs, but now I do everything on the computer which should save me sometimes. Docs have an improved suggestion system for typo/mistakes now, so it help me. Isn't 100% perfect, but better than nothing!
> 
> Not to tease, but I think I know how some things will end. Just need to fill the blank btw the end and now oops!

Just as Razzle said, his old landlady was kind enough to arrange something. She was aware of his job as a cop, so it was easy that he was working undercover at the moment but still needed a place to live. However he didn’t say more than that. No need to worry the poor old lady more than that. The name at the entrance was changed to their covered names, curtains were put back on the windows and they ended up cleaning the place the first day. Been gone for so long, dust had found its place in the rooms. It was a small apartment near downtown. With one large room which was both living and dining room. A small open kitchen, bathroom and one medium bedroom. Big enough for a few furnitures. Once this was done, Eva went the old fashion way of placing all the elements on the wall and tried to make connections between everything. They had to lay low, not stop working. She hoped to find solid proof with the very few infos they had at the moment. Even from the corrupted files. She could make deductions, who would then be validated by Razzle. From there, Eva looked online for old news or what her contacts sent her to either validate Razzle’s affirmation or had new information that could help. Razzle's intention to bring down his old chief the legal way was honorable, but she had her own vision on the matter. She needed a plan B to bring down this whole shit show in a more subtle but grandiose way. Because legal was never the best solution for corruption.

After a whole week of gathering smaller information and putting the dots together, Eva finally decided to explain her vision. It all came out one night when she came back from groceries and found Razzle looking rather desperate in front of the Connection wall. A little odd to be able to figure out his emotions, but she learned his non verbal and this was a good indicator. The bounty hunter put the small bag on the counter and put stuff away. “Why so down?” She asked from the kitchen.

“Well on one hand, we have been for over three weeks now and nothing bad happened.” He said as he dropped papers he had in hands. They put mostly all on papers as soon as they found anything online. “However even with the smallest input we got, we still can make more progress than where we are now. We have to return on the field and find more.”

“Hold on. Yes so far we have been lucky that nothing went wrong. I’m actually very surprised and I don’t like that to be honest.” She finished with the groceries and took a seat next to him glancing at the map. “I don’t say calm times aren’t appreciated, but in this kind of situation too much calm is sometimes not a good sign. Every time I go out, I’m on the lookout for anything unusual.”

“We can’t just stay here and do nothing. The faster we are down with this the faster we can all just return to our old life. It won’t be the same but better than staying inside forever.”

Eva suddenly understood what bothered him. The first month she accepted his contract, he remained inside, never going out and it was probably ok for him back then. Then they had to hide away, go out on missions once in a while, be active. Now, she was the only one to go out. He had been inside for three weeks and hadn’t done anything but go over and over and over the same things again. He had to take a break otherwise whatever was used for his brain would fry. Placing her hand on his shoulder, she offered him a smile.

“I think you are overworking yourself. You need to disconnect a little, rest and we will see what we can do when your head is clearer.” She forced him to his bedroom.

“I don’t understand we need to get back out there and stop everything that is going on!” He sounded annoyed.

“I do understand this, but by doing so, you're just gonna get yourself killed! Right now, I think all you want to do is just ram in with no plan, that’s not the way Razzle.”

“What do you know of the right way? No offense, but what do you think we can accomplish while staying hidden like cowards?” This was a side of him she had seen yet and was sure where this would go. “What’s the actual problem? At first you had no problem dragging me out and now I can’t even step outside the entrance’s frame. Last person I spoke with was the landlady when we came back. But you. You get to get out all the time.”

“Okay, you big guy needs to calm down and rest. First of all you’re the one who came to my help and we agreed to do things my way to keep you safe and now you want to go back? Don’t make me back down, because without me you wouldn’t survive three days against everyone who’s against us. Secondly, you have been awake for three weeks in a row. This is not recommended for any artificial life.”

“You don’t get to tell me what is best for me or not! You may have protected me so far, be we also got in trouble even with your best skills. We sho-”

Eva punched him directly in the side of the head. Her knuckles hurted but it was worth it. For a moment the robot didn’t not move. He stood still, his head had barely moved from the punch but he remained in the same position. Eva wasn’t sure of what would happen next or what just happened. Did she hit too hard? Impossible, his metal was too strong for a human punch. Would he hit back and they will end up fighting each other? Anything was possible. Razzle finally shook his head and looked directly at her. His dark visor with no face or visual components of one made him look very scary. 

“Sorry.” He let out. “I… I got worked up. You’re right, I should rest. Very sorry for yelling at you.”

“I-It’s okay.” She stammered a little. “I’ll take it from here.”

Razzle nodded and headed to his bedroom. Eva watched him go, always rubbing her knuckles. When she heard the door lock, she turned to the Connection wall. Looking at the clock, she could stay up a little longer to figure out more details of what her plan would be. 

She grabbed papers on the ground, placed them on the table and began to review for the hundred times what was on it. Time to time, she would look at the pictures pinned on the walls, looking for details that had escaped them with their overworked brains. Well brain and motherboard probably. Around midnight, she went to the kitchen to grab something to keep her up a little longer. Coming back to the living room, she realized how messy the place was with all of this investigation. A little bit of organisation wouldn’t be too bad. Eva proceeded to take anything not pinned yet and place them a little bit more in order. While lazily reading what was on each piece, the woman came to a realization. At first, she thought it was her mind playing trick, but no. They had indeed completely missed this point by reading everything here and there. Now that all was together, some reports made more sense. Even with the corrupted data, she did find an element that was completely new. She would need to check out in the morning with Razzle if it was, but so far it was only bit by bit that it became clear. She felt a spark of joy and proudness. Pen in hand, she took all the information she had and went to the map. Put the pen on one point of the city, she followed her instinct on the new intels through the street. Connecting the path with other points in the city. All of this led to the same area in the industrial part of the city. Where space and nautical port met. Which made sense, this where most of the Kulraz’s operation would be. Taking everything in and out. But she did figure out where exactly they could find something even better than what they were after.

Taking a step back to look at what she accomplished, Eva still had to come up with a plan to make this work.

****

The next morning, Razzle found her already awake sitting on the couch, watching the tv. He glanced at the suddenly clean room. Never occurred to him till now. The past three week had been something strange now that he had rested. He even began to wonder if he had really accomplished anything during this said time. “Morning.” He said, more cheerful than last night.

“Morning?” Eva replied, turning to him. “More like good afternoon, sleepy head.”

“I was out for so long?” He programmed himself for maximum resting, didn’t think it would be this long.

“Well, it was two days ago.”

“You are kidding me right?!”

“No, I assumed you would know how long you stayed in stasis.” He shook his head. “Well anyway, while you were out…”

“Eva, I’m still sorry for what I said.” He cutted her. “I guess I was what humans would say sleep deprived and was more irritated than usual. Sorry if I said anything hurtful.”

She stood up and came a little closer to him. “No offense taken, you were a little scary at some point though. Also you might have doubt of my capacity, but I know what I’m doing. Speaking of which, I think I found just the right thing to appease your mind.” Taking him by the arm, she brought him to the table with the map. He looked over it following all the lines that connected to a port which she had then circle a few times.

“What does this mean?”

“While looking at your files and the intels, I realized that the numbers five, two and eight were often mentioned. Randomly at some point, sometime with no sense at all, but they were often implied in intercepted communication. So I thought they might be a connection. I looked over some reports and files, it seems like the Kulraz don’t deal with their departing marchandises in the same spot. Never. But however, I dig a little still using the numbers and our ‘suspects’ somehow at some point they were all near Dock 8-2-5. This is an old space-sea dock which was abandoned twenty years ago. Which oddly coincided with the year when the new and current head of the Kulraz gang took command. It was closed because a docking pay for both spaceship and boat wasn’t rentable enough. It was supposed to be demolished, but it never was.”  
Razzle started to put part of the puzzle together. One of the many possibilities that it was never closed is that the Kulraz gave money to whomever was in charge of the demolition. It wouldn’t be so surprising. “That makes sense… It makes a lot of sense.” He thought out loud. “Of course, many investigators were focused on where their marchandises was being sent so they could dismantle more of the gang off planet. No one really thought of where they received anything. Not like you would expect them to.”

“But some drug components can only be found on other planets, it costs less to bring raw material than the drug itself. It also looks less suspicious. Also, you can’t find much exotics life here, it needs to come from somewhere.”

Razzle let out a groan. “I’m really stupid for never thinking of this. I’m supposed to be wiser than an average human!”

“So humble.” She laughed. “My plan is a little different than yours.” The bot looked at her, intrigued. “It still involves taking your chief down and why not the Kulraz gang at the same time, at least try. I know you want to bring everything in front of the headmaster or judge in chief or whomever, but this will take too long and is really risky. What if instead we could show the world? If we could show the people what’s really going on, cops dealing with the gang, then sending your proof would have more impact. The people would already know the truth and would pressure the governor to move to act.” 

Razzle analyzed the proposition. If the population was involved, isn’t like the bad guys could again millions of people. They can’t kill that many. The public’s opinion could change their chances. It wasn’t such a bad plan. It was maybe better than his rush one. It was worth trying.


End file.
